Next avengers: The movie
by Kyuubi9841
Summary: Adopted from Redrogue17. The story you know, but the things you never knew. To protect those close to them, the children of the avengers children must brave the new world and their greatest enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own this story, which was adopted from Redrougue17 or The Next Avengers, who are owned by Marvel.**

 **I adopted this story from Redrogue17, but this first chapter is mostly edits. I changed Raven's name to Aya and aded a new OC. Enjoy!**

"Can we hear it again, please?" Asked 5 year old James from his place on the top bunk, his red hair still wet from the shower and his sapphire blue eyes filled with wonder. His 2 year old sister Tanya sat in the crook of his arm, already half asleep. Her red hair was tied up in two small ponytails with black scrunchies.

"More! Tell us the story more, please!" Begged the other 5 year old, Torunn, from her spot next to him. Her blonde hair was held partially in a ponytail beside her face by a red scrunchy and her sky blue eyes were pleading.

On the bunk below 3 year olds Azari and Liz leaned forward in excitement. Azari's golden eyes glowed in contrast to his dark skin, while Liz was his opposite with her light brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. 4 year old Aya hung upside down next to them, her long black hair almost touching the floor and her golden eyes in line with her younger siblings.

"Ok! But then it's off to bed!" Replied Tony, the man formerly called Iron Man, from his place with 9 month old Pym in his arms. He took a deep breath and began his story. "And then came a day unlike any other, when earth's mightiest heroes were united against a common threat. The Soldier, the God, the Knight, the Spy, the Giant, the King, the Pixie, the Ghost, the Archer, the Beast, and the Spider. To fight the battles that no single hero that day, they became the Avengers! Time traveling conquerors, alien invaders, and masters of evil, the Avengers vanquished them all! And finally, when the world was at peace, the heroes built lives of their own.

"The Soldier and Spy fell in love, as did the Giant and Pixie. The King found his Queen, and the Beast, his mate. The Spider made his web, and the thunder-God returned to his kingdom, far away from the world of men. And one by one, the children of the Avengers came to be. Children who would, one day, become a new generation of heroes. But in time, evil returned. An evil called Ultron. Ultron wanted nothing less than total dominion over the world, but the Avengers stood in its way. Sadly, their defeat was inevitable. But before they fell, the Avengers hid their children in a place faraway where they would grow up safe from Ultron's grasp. Because the Avengers knew that as long as the children were alive, there was hope. Hope for the future."

He whispered the last part to the unconscious forms of the children. James was sprawled out on his bunk with Torunn draped across him like a blanket. Tanya had fallen asleep long ago, burrowing into the space between James's arm and body. Liz had fallen to the floor, face first and still slept soundly, Azari leaned on Aya's stomach like a pillow. Pym cuddled with his stuffed ladybug and he snored softly.

He gave them a last smile before switching off the light and closing the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Twelve years later

12-year old Pym raced through the forest, his tiny form visible by the green light he radiated. As he sped past the waterfall and through their little home, he failed to notice the pair of golden eyes peering through the gloom of a bush. It leapt through the trees in pursuit of the young boy.

As the miniature boy sped through a clearing, a sudden burst of lightning forced him to the ground. Before he could recover his wits, a pair of hands clasped him tightly.

They belonged to the 15-year old Azari. He wore a sleeveless black spandex uniform with elbow length gloves to show off the tattoos that covered his body. Across his waist was his collapsible Bo staff, which doubled as his belt.

He opened his hands to reveal a very unhappy Pym. "Tag, Pym!" He said smugly.

"No fair, Azari!" The younger boy complained as he grew in size. He now had a military buzz cut and a yellow metal plate suit over a full-body black jumpsuit. In the center of his chest was a small green circle and his legs had black paint crisscrossing with the yellow to look like a bee. "You didn't give me enough of a head start!"

"No fair?" Azari rebuked, "Aren't you the one who called no powers and then shrunk and flew away?"

"Ya, well, I meant no powers for you!" Replied the boy, embarrassed.

"Of course," replied Azari. "Guess what Pym, you're it!"

With that, he leapt into the trees.

"Hey!" The boy called after him, "Not so fast, and no powers!"

He stared after him for a moment before shrinking down and flying away.

* * *

Tony stared at them from the monitors.

"Jocasta," he called, "Adjust environmental controls in the hanger plus two therms, radar ray 7 needs realigning, and let's get lunch started, shall we?"

"Commands in progress," replied a feminine robotic voice.

* * *

17-year old Torunn sat in front of her father's monument at the fountain. She still held part of her hair in a ponytail on the side of her face by a red scrunchy, while the rest of it flowed free along her back. Tony had built her light grey Asgardian modeled armor with golden boots. Her magical sword was plunged into the ground behind her.

"I dreamt of Asgard again, father," she said aloud. "The Bifrost Bridge stretched out before me, and I could see the glow of the realm eternal. I know thee to be real, father. And I hope that one day soon you will come for your daughter."

Near the fountain, at the edge of the tree line, 16 year old Aya sat crisscrossed on a rock, meditating. Her straight black hair hung over her shoulders and down her back. She wore a black skintight suit with dark grey tiger stripes and no sleeves, finger-less gloves, and black combat boots. Her healing factor made any need for armor rather unnecessary.

A miniature Pym raced over to her, hoping to catch her off her guard. As he approached, he found himself at the point of a metal claw.

"Tag me at your own risk, Henry," she said without opening her eyes.

No one was entirely sure why, but somehow when her mutant gene activated, she gained an ultra-light biologically made metal not too dissimilar to adamantium that covered her entire skeleton along with the rest of her powers.

Pym gave a little gulp before turning and heading over to Torunn. He grew in size and snuck up behind her, over to her sword. He then proceeded to try and lift said sword and failed miserably. However, his struggles did alert her to his presence.

"And father," she said loudly, "lastly I beseech thee: give me the power to smite Pym, once and for all!"

"WHAT!?" He exclaimed fearfully.

He turned, shrunk, and flew away as fast as possible. Torunn just stepped forward, gripped her sword, pulled it out of the ground in one hand, and threw it at the younger boy, who found his way blocked by a rock. He saw the approaching sword just in time to duck and avoid decapitation, the blade lodged in the rock just above him.

That was when something sticky was shot at Torunn's feet, gluing her in place. She looked up to see 15 year old Liz hanging on a high stone with 13 year old Tanya leaning against it below. Liz's hair was shoulder length, hanging around her head as she stared at them. Tanya kept her crimson hair in a long ponytail reaching just past her shoulders.

Liz's outfit was similar to her father's, but it was shoulder-less, and was pitch black with crimson spider web designs, with a crimson spider in the center. Tanya's uniform consisted of a black form fitting costume with red lines running from the hip to her wrists. Pym flew up and hid behind Liz and Azari, who was now sitting next to Liz.

"That's not how tag works, Torunn," Tanya glared, "You're supposed to run from Pym, not attack us!"

"And why didn't you do anything?!" Liz yelled at the mutant.

"Pym needed to learn how to get out of his messes on his own," Aya calmly replied, without even opening her eyes, "We will not always be there to help. He was lucky Torunn missed her mark."

"An Asgardian warrior never misses, mortal!" Replied Torunn as she made her way towards the rock.

"So you're not an Asgardian? Or do you people just not make good on your threats?" Liz asked.

Torunn turned toward her, fire in her eyes. Liz put her hands out in an 'I surrender' position.

"Break it up you two," called Azari in exasperation, "Whenever you two fight, I have to clean up the blood!"

Torunn shot one last glare at Liz before turning back to Azari.

"Running away is a human rule," she said as she removed her sword from the rock, "An immortal Asgardian warrior runs from no one! You, Pym, Liz, Tanya, Aya, and James are about to taste my sword's wrath!"

While Pym cowered a little more, Liz and Azari looked utterly unimpressed. Aya ignored her completely. Tanya was distracted by a beetle passing by.

"Hey," the Viking girl realized, "I mean, forsooth! Where's James?"

"At this time?" replied Liz, "I'd give ya three guesses, but your blonde so you'd probably need more."

Everyone snickered except for Torunn who just scowled, Tanya who was busy with the beetle she named 'George' and Aya who warned, "Liz, your excessive teasing and jokes will be the death of you."

* * *

Five figures stood inside the messy bungalow. They stared as the mess on the bed began to move, revealing a pair of tanned legs, clothed in brown pajama bottoms. Even though they were there almost daily, they were still shocked by the state of disarray the room was in.

"Does he get the sword, the web, the spark, or the sting today?" Asked Torunn. "Or should we go to Aya and ask her to do the 'honors?'"

Pym and Liz glanced at each other mischievously and grinned.

"It's his royal highnesses turn," they replied in unison.

"I hate you both." Was all he said before moving forward.

Tanya grabbed Azari's shoulder. "Why are you doing this? You always get hurt, and it's not like we need to do it." She attempted to defend her brother, and like alway, she was ignored.

Azari shrugged her off while the rest of them only smiled smugly, each, excluding Tanya who never sides against her brother, having been on the wrong side of what they knew was about to occur. His body glowed as electricity began to emit from his body. He brought his finger forward and when it was about an inch away a bolt of lightning jumped onto the sleeping form's foot.

With a shout of pain, and reflexes only an elf or Aya would have, James leapt up, turned on his shield, and slammed it into Azari. The other boy felt a stab of pain in his gut before his was launched through open air and into the mud outside.

The 17 year old James stepped out onto the balcony. He still wore his light brown pajamas and his energy shield was active on the red glove on his left hand. He rubbed his head and opened his eyes to see who it was he had hit.

He turned off his shield when he saw Liz helping Azari out of the mud. "If you dorks are all done bothering me, I'm going back to bed."

"Who are you calling a dork, Red?" gawked Liz as she got her web shooter ready to fire.

James sighed. "That would be you, Web-head."

She jumped forward with her leg out through the air. He simply stepped back and grabbed her leg. He pulled her around in a 180 degree angle and then threw her through the air and into the mud beside Azari.

"Now can I sleep?" He asked lazily.

"But you're missing the game!" Cried Pym, completely ignoring the outburst like it was daily occurrence, which it was.

"What is your problem, James?!" Shouted Azari from below, "You've been sleeping all day, missing training, blowing off your chores…

"Which me and your sister have to do by the way," Liz added.

And generally being a real pain!" the dark-skinned boy concluded.

"It's not that bad, really. I don't understand why you guys are so annoyed." Tanya commented.

Liz turned around to face her friend. "Okay, first of: his slacking means more work for us. Second: he's a pain. And third: just cause you're his sister doesn't mean you have to fight for him. Come on, it's fun to annoy him." Tanya made a face and turned away from Liz.

"Who cares?" James replied. "What am I gonna miss, laundry day? So what if we don't do the chores and train?"

With that he back flipped off the edge of the balcony and landed behind the others, even though he hadn't practiced in days.

They all felt a pang of jealousy. Besides Aya, Tanya and to an extent Liz, his natural abilities, combined with his inherited physique, had given him the physical skills that they others trained endlessly for naturally. Whereas the others constantly trained to maintain good physical condition, James was naturally athletic. Whoever had said that fitness was a lame power was totally wrong.

"For what?" he continued, "Seriously, nothing's ever gonna happen in this place! You can act like a king, Pym can play superhero, Aya can meditate and say stupid junk like she's a monk, Liz can run around climbing all the walls she wants and Tanya can follow like a lost puppy, and Torunn can live in fantasyland, saying 'aye' and 'verily' 'til she's blue in the face! What's the point?!"

Liz marched up and pointed a finger in his face. "Take that back. I don't care what you say about me or the others, but your sister will stick up for you no matter how bad you act, so where do you get off saying that about her?"

James stared back at her for a second before his eyes went to his feet. He began to mumble an apology when Torunn interrupted.

"The point is not to be such a jerk!" She yelled as she came out of his bungalow, not having heard Liz's rant, and effectively destroyed any chance of James apologizing to his sister.

His attitude hurt her more than the others because they had been so close growing up. There had been a time when she thought that maybe...

"Oh right, there's no point for us because our parents are dead," James yelled, breaking into her thoughts. "Your dad just abandoned you, so there's still hope."

That did it. She gripped her sword and launched down at him. He blocked it with his shield. They pressed against each other, trying to push the other one back. It was here that James's lack of practice finally began to show.

"Ugh, Why does James do this? It's like he's deliberately annoying her." Tanya groaned.

Liz gave her an incredulous look. "You think he doesn't do it on purpose?"

"Do you think Asgardians really say jerk?" Pym wondered aloud.

The others only shrugged before turning back to the fighting pair.

"Anyone have some popcorn?" Liz asked the two boys.

"Your magic sword doesn't scare me, Torunn!" James yelled.

"Then allow me to put the fear of it into thee!" She replied as thunder rumbled menacingly from somewhere.

Torunn pulled the sword up and swung it down again, intending to break that infernal shield. Suddenly, four metallic claws, two in each hand, blocked both the sword and the shield.

"Enough," Aya demanded, "This bickering is pointless."

"'Bickering' she calls it," Liz observed, "I wonder what she would call 'attempted murder'."

"Probably Torunn following through on her threat to skewer and roast him." Tanya answered.

"Aya's right, that's enough!" Commanded another voice.

Everyone froze before turning to see who had spoken. They looked at an old man with long white hair, a white beard, and blue eyes. He wore dark brown pants and a black shirt with red sleeves.

"Tony!" cried Azari, "I was about to tell them to break it up!"

"Ya, we wouldn't have let it get serious!" agreed Liz.

"James, Torunn! Go to your bungalows and cool off!" Said Tony, ignoring the pair.

As they walked away, Pym gave a little laugh while Liz smirked. "You and the others too, Pym."

"Awww!" Complained the boy before they all began to move out.

Then turning to Aya, he instructed, "Thank you for stopping them, but next time you hear a commotion, come directly to me."

"Yes sir," she replied.

The old man watched them all begin to leave.

"James, wait," he said to the boy as he walked away, "I know you feel trapped here with just the eight of us, but try not to take it out on your brothers and sisters. Especially Torunn and Tanya. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me."

"I'll apologize to them. Later," he replied.

"Your father was never very good at doing nothing either," Tony continued, "You know you can always come talk to me, James."

"But it's not the same, is it?" the boy asked quietly, "Like you say, you're not my dad."

With that, he walked up the stairs.

Tony sighed before turning away sadly. In so many ways James and Steve were alike, but in many others they were different. He would have expected the boy to be throwing himself into training, unable to sleep. But here he was, doing the exact opposite. It was just another reminder of what he had lost.

Suddenly, an alarm began sounding. A horn blared while red lights flashed. Tony gasped before turning to James who had frozen and was looking back at him.

"James, go to your room!" He commanded.

"Tony?" Torunn called, uncertain as she and the others arrived.

"Sir, what's going on?" Asked Aya.

"What are these lights, and that noise?" Continued Pym.

"Everyone, inside James's bungalow until I give the all clear!" Was the old man's only reply.

"Can we please wait in Aya's room," Liz begged, "It's scary clean but at least…"

"Now!" Tony ordered.

At once, they all ran inside the room, Tony sprinting down the beach the other way. James took one last moment to stare after him, trying to ignore the feeling that was the last real conversation they'd have for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

The six children waited inside of the bungalow. Azari paced the room with impatience. That is, until he accidentally stepped in a piece of old gum that was on the floor. He lifted his shoe and stared at it in disgust.

"Ugh, how do you live like this James? Haven't you ever heard of cleaning up?" He asked.

The older boy, who had a finger in his nose, just shrugged. He had managed to get changed, ignoring Aya's jokingly seductive growls. He now wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans, a red glove on his right hand to match the one on his left, along with matching boots.

"We should be out there with Tony, not hiding!" Shouted Torunn.

"We're not hiding," Liz replied, picking up a slice of pizza from yesterday's lunch, "We're having a party. Besides, this is probably a new training drill."

"Maybe," Pym was saying before he gasped, clasping his hands over his mouth. He slowly removed them to continue in a whisper, "Maybe it's Ultron!"

"What? That's ridiculous! It's not Ultron!" Replied James, "It's probably something stupid, like a fire on the machine level, or that time Jocasta went nuts because of the water main leak. It's not Ultron."

"Don't be so quick in making conclusions," Aya stated, "Tony wouldn't react this way if it were something mundane."

"Yeah, but it could still be a misunderstanding. Maybe he got the 'attack-of-the-killer-robot' alarm mixed up with his 'left-the-oven-on' alarm." Tanya reasoned. She was sitting on the chair of James' desk, taking apart one of her guns and polishing the pieces.

"Ya you're right," agreed Pym. "There's no way it's..."

He trailed off as the others jumped up, weapons ready. He glanced behind him to see a strange green and yellow robot facing through the wall behind him.

"Hello children," was all it said before it collapsed onto the ground.

The children lowered their weapons uncertainly. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Tony. He looked at the robot on the ground.

"Vision!" He exclaimed before dropping to his knees.

The android's eyes reopened and it turned to face Tony, "My apologies, the drones in Ultra City have been upgraded. One was able to damage my immaterial form as I left."

"Were you followed?" Was all the man asked.

"Negative," replied the robot, "Did I set off the alarm? Perhaps my electronic access keys were damaged. And how odd, this doesn't look like the control center."

"Everything is going to be all right," said the old man, "Come on let's get you to the workshop."

"Stay here!" He told the kids.

Pym blinked before yelling in fright.

"Delayed reaction, much?" Liz muttered as they all followed Tony out onto the balcony.

"Tony...?" James asked uncertainly.

Tony sighed, "Look, I know you all have questions. I promise I'll explain everything, but later. Right now I have to take care of my friend. Please stay in your rooms."

Tony approached the fountain, or more specifically, the Iron Man monument, farthest to the right. He extended his hand to symbol on it, which began to glow. Suddenly, the circle in the center moved away to reveal a secret passage, which he began to descend. From the trees, the children watched.

"We're gonna follow him, right?" Asked Pym.

"Ya!" Replied James.

"Aye!" Agreed Torunn.

"Of course we are." Tanya said as she clicked the magazine of her previously disassembled gun into place.

"No duh!" Liz exclaimed.

"Why?" Aya asked.

"No!" Azari declared, the lone voice of reason, "Tony said wait, so we'll wait. He'll explain everything. We need to respect his wishes." He finished by glowing menacingly, and letting electricity in circle his body.

Torunn glanced at each him mischievously. She whipped out her sword and absorbed the lightning into it and brought it to the Wakandan's throat.

"Stand down, Brother," she ordered.

He only sighed miserably.

"Pym, you're the tech head," James instructed, "Open it up!"

The youngest boy nodded.

* * *

They all stared down into the darkness, wondering what awaited them.

"Did you guys know the fountain was a secret door? Cause I didn't, and I'm WAY smarter than all of you!" Pym said in excitement.

They ignored him and walked downward into the void, Aya and Liz smacking his head as they passed.

"How could we have lived here all this time and not known about this?" Torunn wondered aloud.

"For the same reason why we're going down here in the first place," Aya explained, "Tony didn't want to tell us because he felt we weren't ready."

"But why not?" James asked.

"Cause he thinks we're kids still." Tanya commented with her arms crossed.

As they walked, a door ahead of them opened automatically.

"Come on!" Pym called.

"Guys, we're gonna get in so much trouble!" Azari warned.

"Oh wah, wah, wah!" Pym mocked as Liz rolled her eyes and countered, "We've been getting into trouble since the day we were born. If you're ever gonna get promoted from prince to king, you'd better get some guts."

"I think I've been here before, when I was a kid," James said, causing the others to stop and look back at him as he continued, "I remember hanging onto this rail, I was falling on it. I remember being scared."

Pym laughed, not noticing that even Liz had gone silent at his words.

"That sounds like you! Big ol' scaredy- ah!" He yelled as he ran into something.

He turned around to see something he never thought he'd ever see: Their parents.

First they saw Captain America, and then the others began to light up, one by one. They stared in amazement at them all, noticing for the first time that they were all robots.

"What is this?!" Azari asked breathlessly.

"They're our parents," replied James.

"He's right!" Pym exclaimed, "It's just like the story! That's my dad! The Giant! That's Tanya and James' dad, the Soldier, and their mom the Spy! There's Aya's dad, the Beast! And that's Liz's dad, the Spider! There's Torunn's dad! Or wait, maybe that's her mom? Look at all that hair!"

Torunn stepped forward, gripping her sword to scare him off.

"Who's that?" Azari asked, walking up to the one next to Thor.

"The Archer, maybe?" Torunn theorized.

"No, really," Liz replied sarcastically, "I thought the giant bow in his hands means that he's Knight!"

"But the Knight is missing, and the Pixie and Ghost," Torunn countered.

Tanya placed her hand on Torunn's shoulder. "Torunn, you really need to learn sarcasm. Seriously, please do." Torunn pouted and turned away.

"Guy!" Pym yelled excitedly, "Tony called that robot the Vision! The Vision is the Ghost!"

They all turned to look at James. He stood in front of his parents, staring at them intently. All his life he'd grown up hearing about how amazing Captain America was, but the boy had never met him. He was more attached to his father than any of the others, save Torunn.

"Why would Tony keep this from us?" Torunn asked.

"As I said earlier," Aya responded, "For whatever reason, he felt we were not ready. We shouldn't be in here."

"Aya's right," Azari agreed, "If Tony DID want us to know about these, he would tell us. Now we should keep going if we want to spy on him. FIND him, I mean."

"Going with the flow, are you?" Liz smiled and bumped his elbow."There may be hope for you yet, Spark-plug."

With that, they began to walk away. Torunn turned back and noticed that James had yet to move from his place in front of the robot Captain America. Tanya came back and grabbed her brother's bicep, trying to get him moving. He ignored her and looked at the machine instead.

"James, come on!" Torunn called to him when Tanya's efforts failed.

He didn't answer.

"James..."

* * *

The others emerged onto a catwalk, smoke and steam rising into the air.

"Just relax, old friend," Tony's voice came from somewhere below, "I need to see how extensive the damage is. How did they find you?"

"I was accessing the mainframe…" replied the android.

A panel opened up on his stomach to reveal the wires within.

"Ew, robot guts!" Pym gagged.

"Robots don't HAVE guts!" Liz whisper-shouted at him.

"All of Europe has been subjugated by the machine forces since my last report," continued Vision, "Drones are gathering along the Pacific Rim and eastern Europe. The invasion of Asia will soon commence, along with phase three. "

The children glanced at each other.

"What's "phase three?" Azari's eyes narrowed.

"Bake a birthday cake," Liz smiled nervously.

"In thirteen years, he's conquered half the planet," Tony muttered.

"On the bright side," the mechanical man added, "I have heard various reports that Logan has survived, though none of them are conclusive." Aya's eyes widened when her father's name was mentioned. She, along with Torunn, was happy to hear from Tony that their parent's had survived. She leaned closer, desperate to hear any detail despite her exceptional hearing.

"That's to be excepted," Tony nodded, "Even Thor admits that Logan is one of the few truly immortal people in the universe."

"Also, although I'm not certain about the man himself, I have confirmed that Clint Barton's son is alive," Vision finished.

"What?!" gasped the old man.

"Hey who's Clint Barton?" Asked Azari.

"He must've been an ally or former enemy of the Avengers," Aya deduced, "Probably an Avenger himself."

"Maybe he was the Knight, or the Pixie!" Pym exclaimed.

"The Pixie was your mom, idiot!" Azari and Liz glared in unison.

"Maybe he was the Knight!" Pym correctly repeated, undeterred.

* * *

"James, we should go," Torunn said quietly.

"What it has my dad's voice," he replied, "Or it's programmed to be like him, or has his memories! Do you think he can hear me?"

He looked back towards her. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Torunn found herself unable to hold his gaze any longer.

He turned back to the machine.

"Um, dad?" he said uncertainly, "Can you hear me? Hello? Are you awake?"

"James, it's not dad," Tanya said quietly as she placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, "It's a robot. As Aya would say, even if it was like dad or mom, it would be a poor substitute."

He shook her hand off and stepped forward, his foot half in the spotlight that illuminated the android, "Sir? Um…. Captain America? Are you, um… online?"

Its eyes lit up, causing the trio to stumble back in fright.

"Iron Avenger!" It exclaimed. "Designation: Captain America, now online! Accessing mission database. Mission acquired. Destruction of A.I. threat, designation: Ultron, commencing!"

"Ultron?" Torunn gawked.

The robot had walked to the end of the platform before it turned around to face its companions.

"Iron Avengers, assemble!" It called.

This appeared to be some kind of activation code, because all the others activated and began to follow the Iron Captain out of the room.

"Whow, wait!" Called James as he realized what was happening.

The floor suddenly shook as the Iron Giant Man moved through an entrance to its side.

"Stop!" He cried vainly.

He turned and sprinted after the leaving robots.

"Ahhh, stand down! Stop! Dad!" He yelled as he pulled against the leading robot.

It just shook him off and kept walking. They entered what appeared to be a large launching platform, just as Torunn and Tanya caught up with James. The trio followed them, only to be stopped as the ground they were standing on moved away.

* * *

The others watched as Tony repaired the Vision. Pym, the tech head that he was, couldn't help admiring the mechanics that had been put into making him. He leaned farther out to try and get a better look and lost his balance, slipping over the side. Fortunately, Aya managed to catch the younger boy in time, and he murmured his thanks as he was pulled up. Unfortunately, Tony heard Pym's yelp of surprise.

"Azari, Pym, Aya, Liz! What are you four doing down here?!" He called.

* * *

The Cap was the first to launch. He rose into the air on a pair of jet boots that had been built into his feet. The two children could only watch in horror the others began to rise into the air after him.

The ground began to rumble, knocking Tony's tools over, causing him to blink in shock. An alert began to sound, focusing his attention.

"Iron Avengers launch sequence: initiated," said Jocasta.

Tony removed his goggles for dramatic effect.

"Oh no," he whispered, fear in his voice.

Iron Giant Man was the last to launch, spewing smoke in its wake.

"Oops," said James.

"Verily," agreed Torunn.

"Understatement of the year." Tanya added.

* * *

In a room far away, a figure stood atop a pillar, watching multitudes of video screens displaying images from all around the world.

"Energy source detected," reported an electronic voice. "Location: Arctic Circle. Energy analysis matches fugitive, designation: Iron Man."

"Finally," the figure said.

"Jocasta, send reserve power to long range radar!" Tony commanded.

"Tony, this was not my idea!" Azari tried to explain, "It was-"

"Grab Vision's head!" Tony ordered, ignoring him.

They all blinked, confused.

They then turned to face the figure on the table as he began to speak, "Hello Henry, hello Azari, hello-"

"His head?" Asked Aya, interrupting.

"Now!" the old man called.

They all gathered around the head. A couple of panels opened in Vision's chest.

"Awesome!" Pym exclaimed, pulling the head free.

"Multiple radar contacts, designation: Iron Avengers," they heard Jocasta say.

They all moved over to the radar screen.

"What's going on?" Asked Pym, worry creeping into his voice.

"Ya," Liz agreed, "Give us some answers, Pops!"

Before he could reply, Jocasta spoke, "New contact, suborbital trajectory. Designation:-"

"Tony!" Yelled a voice behind them.

They turned to see James, Tanya and Torunn race into the room.

"I'm sorry!" said the boy, "Th-there were these robots, and they looked just like our parents! And then..."

He trailed off as he noticed the look on the old man's face that read "yeah, I know". Without a word he turned back to the computer screen.

"I think he knows," said Torunn.

"Gee, Ya think?!" Liz called.

* * *

As the Iron Avengers flew through the sky, they noticed a red light ahead. They confirmed using their scanners. It was the target. Iron Giant Man flew ahead while the others took up defensive positions in the air. The giant moved toward the target, but it flew through its head without even slowing down.

* * *

"We're leaving," the old man stated.

"What do you mean, leaving?" Azari asked , confused.

"Leaving?" Pym gawked, "As in, leaving here? But- but, we've never left here!"

"Come on, Tony!" Aya demanded, "Give us some answers! We have the right to know!"

Tony just sighed, knowing they didn't have time for this.

* * *

Iron Black Widow felt something slam into her back. Red lines began spreading across the android's body. Her eyes turned red.

"Get to the control center!" the old man said. "We don't have much time! Vision will explain!"

"Vision?" James asked . "What about you?"

"Alert, Iron Widow: offline," called Jocasta.

Tony gasped, "You have to get to the control center!"

"Iron Spider: offline." Jocasta's voice continued to echo as they ran up the steps, "Iron Thor: offline."

Torunn stopped. "We shouldn't have left him!" She yelled angrily.

Azari moved toward her, "He told us to! We have to get to the control center, that's what he said!"

"Iron Panther: offline." She kept running. "Iron Wolverine: offline."

"Those robots, the Iron Avengers?" James asked Vision, "Why are they going offline?"

"The enemy has developed the ability to infect machinery, corrupting and overriding its programming with its own," Vision replied, "There is a high probability that the Iron Avengers have been compromised."

"Iron Captain America: offline."

"He was the last," the android continued, "Ultron will be coming for us now."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Pym interrupted, almost dropping him in shock, "Ultron? Really? Ultron is coming? Here?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Aya added, her eyes widening.

"He's not," replied Liz wearily.

They turned to look at her. She had gone pale and was shaking like crazy. Azari instinctively reached out and gripped her hand.

"How do you know?" Asked Pym.

"You know how I have a spider-sense like my dad?" They nodded. "Well, here's a hint: I'm not shaking cause I'm cold."

As if in response to her words, the sky exploded. Torunn and Aya grabbed the others and launched out of the way of the falling debris.

James blinked as snow rained down on his face. He looked up to see a hole torn in the sky. Suddenly, it began to darken in a dome. Red lights and alarms lite up, illuminating the area.

But they were watching the light that was descending from the sky.

A large, silver robot touched down in front of them. It looked strangely similar to the pictures they had seen of the Knight, except for the face which seemed to be smiling wickedly. For the first time in their lives, they stared into the face of Ultron.

"Oh, snap," Aya said in an almost monotone voice.

"Verily." Torunn added.


	4. Chapter 4

Ultron took a few steps toward them. It paused as it seem to notice the children for the first time.

"Children," It stated. "Unexpected. Assessment: potential threats. Commencing termination."

With that, it stepped back and raised its hand, energy building in his palm. The children's eyes widened as they tried to take defensive stances. Somehow it didn't seem like they would be able to deflect it in time.

Suddenly, a figure launched from the smoke that surrounded them. He wore a red and gold suit of armor that looked a lot like Ultron, with a glowing green that shone through lights in the metal. The figure leapt forward and gripped Ultron's head in his hands before tossing him through the trees. As the robot began to stand, the figure launched a massive beam from his chest, sending him flying through the jungle, leaving only a trail of destruction in its wake.

The children beheld him in awe.

Pym was the first to react. "It's the Knight, Iron Man!" He exclaimed.

The Knight turned towards them. His masked lifted up to reveal someone they hadn't expected: Tony.

"Get to the control center!" He ordered, "I'll hold it off!"

"Tony?!" James gawked, still in shock.

He was interrupted as a figure launched through the trees and into the air, off in the distance.

"I'll be right behind you! Go!" the old man replied as his mask descended onto his face and he rose into the air after it.

"This is wrong!" Torunn yelled as she raised her sword, "We have to help him!"

"Children!" Vision called their attention, "Do as Iron Man says! You and Aya must protect the others, Torunn! Your safety is of the utmost importance! Iron Man will join you shortly."

"He's right," Aya agreed in a soft voice, "We need to go!"

They finally turned and began moving again.

In the air, the two warriors clashed. Ultron dodged a repulsor blast before taking a kick to the face, followed by a punch. He responded with several of his own, pushing the hero back. Iron Man launch another repulser before flying away from control center, seeking to put as much distance between the android and the children as possible.

They fired repulsors at each other as they descended into the jungle. Skimming the ground, the Knight increased his speed until he arrived at the reactor which powered their home. He turned to face the jungle, watching as the machine tore through the trees. He narrowed his eyes.

The children has made it to the control center. Torunn and Aya stood guard as the others ran inside, sword and claws at the ready. Pym placed Vision's head on the control panel.

"Stay robot head," he ordered, "We'll be right back!"

"Somehow I don't think that'll be a problem," Liz observed.

They all turned and began moving towards the exit. Vision opened his eyes, which were now glowing red.

"Vision, override," he said, "Command code: Quinjet."

Lights flashed as the room began to activate. They all stopped and looked back.

"What's a 'Quinjet'?" Pym asked.

"It's a singing group with four guys." Liz answered.

"That's a quartet." Azari corrected.

"Take your seats please," the robot instructed as six seats rose up out of the floor. The ceiling opened up to reveal a glass roof and lights began flashing, "We are launching."

"Launching?" Azari asked, confused.

Jets activated beneath them and the ceiling burst as they were lifted into the air. They were forced into the chairs as they fell from their feet. The jet paused in the air as wings unfolded from its back.

"No..." James was in shock, "No, stop! Go back!"

But he was ignored, and the ship flew out of the hole created by Ultron's entrance. They could only stare at the dome which had been their home for so many years. All they knew had just been turned upside down the moment they had seen the snow.

Line Break

Ultron was pounding him. Tony was losing the fight. The machine pressed his hands against the hero's shoulders, red lines beginning to spread out as it tried to corrupt the suit. Tony realized what was happening and blasted his foe with a laser, forcing him back. He then ripped off his shoulder plates before the corruption spread to the rest of his suit.

They sped through the trees, firing blast after blast as they went. Tony lifted a rock and hefted it towards the machine, only for it to be smashed to pieces. Then the metal monstrosity finally landed a repulsor beam. It blasted the old man through the trees and onto the fountain, ripping apart his armor as he flew. Ultron advanced slowly until he stood over the defeated form of his enemy.

"Struggling until the end." It observed, tossing the helmet of the man towards him, a trophy of its victory, "Illogical. You must realize, the end is here."

"No," Tony gasped in pain, "Still...hope..."

"False. Hope is a human illusion."

A light began to shine above them. The Knight looked upward to see the Iron Avengers descending down around them.

"Your Iron Avengers are under my control now, Iron Man. And you belong to me!"

The screen showed the children watching everything.

"It's got Tony!" Pym exclaimed, "Look! They're taking him!"

"Stupid robot!" Torunn yelled, "Do as we say! Turn this ship around now!"

"Ya, we've got to save the Boss!" Liz agreed.

"I will not," replied Vision, "Iron Man sacrificed himself to keep you safe, and that's what we will do. Stay safe, stay hidden. There are parts of the world where Ultron has not reached, far away from Ultra City. I have set a course for the Savage Land."

"The Savage Land?" Aya raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds horrible!" Pym shrieked.

"Not exactly my definition of 'safe'," Liz agreed.

"Yeah, I kinda like not being a cave-woman, so I'll pass, thanks." Tanya commented. She looked over her shoulder where James was still looking out the window in shock.

"Actually, parts of it are quite nice and... Alert: reserve power depleted. Recharge required..." With that, Vision powered down.

"Sir?" Azari asked uncertainly.

"He's out of juice!" Pym shouted.

"Well that's just great!" Azari yelled, "We'll what now?"

"I think I can get him up and running," Pym replied, "I'll need to reconfigure his power matrix..."

"I say thee nay!" Torunn interrupted, "I will not run and I will not hide! I am the daughter of Thor, and Ultron will pay for what he's done!"

"Now wait one moment, Torunn," Aya countered, "I want Ultron's head on my claws as much as you want it on your sword, but you are not in charge. If anyone should be in charge here it's James!"

Everyone was focused on her, so no one noticed him wince.

"He's the oldest and the strongest!"

"But Tony wanted us safe!" Azari reminded them, "Going after Ultron is the exact opposite of that! James, back me up here."

Silence was the older boy's only answer.

"James?" He asked.

Everyone turned to face him. He just stared out the window as if he didn't hear them.

"James?" Torunn's voice drew him back to the present.

"I… I led Ultron to our home," he said in a whisper that seemed to echo around them, "Tony's gone because of me. It's all my fault…"

Liz and Azari exchanged a look. No one had ever seen James like this. He may have been a lazy pain, but everything he did, he did with confidence. He never hesitated, so they always knew he would be ready for anything. Now he seemed almost... broken.

Tanya put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "It was an accident, you didn't want any of this to happen, so just let it go."

Torunn casted one last worried look at James before declaring, "We're going after Ultron! Pym, take the controls and head for this Ultra City!"

"I'm on it, Torunn!" He replied, then realized something, "Um, two questions. How do you fly this thing and where is Ultra City?"

Line Break

The city spread across the horizon, glowing with purple light. Skyscrapers stood overlooking everything like sentinels. It had been built on top of New York City and then improved, making it a vast expanse of stone and metal.

It was towards this expanse that a black jet flew. It rocketed past, cleaving the water in its wake. A scanner identified the machine as a hostile threat and cannons emerged from the walls. They fired a volley of missiles that torn the machine to shreds. After confirming the destruction of the hostile threat, the cannons retracted back into the walls.

In the air behind it, the passengers moved out from behind a cloud. James and Azari each gripped one of Torunn's hands as she flew through the air, with Aya clinging to the boys in a chain, Tanya held onto her boots like her life depended on it, and Liz using her wall-crawling ability to piggyback Torunn. Pym flew beside them, holding onto Vision's head by a wire.

"Ok fine," Azari admitted angrily, "So maybe they would have attacked us!"

The others only glared at him.

Line Break

In the city, two figures hid in the shadow of an alley. One was a 17-year old boy with black boots and pants, a black jacket with white trim, dark eyes, and blonde, almost white, hair. He held a bow in his hands and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.

The other was a 15-year old boy with brown hair that had streaks of red and blue eyes which was the only thing visible through his makeshift iron mask. He had on blue jeans, dark grey hoodie, red combat boots, and a grey backpack. Through his earpiece, he heard about the misadventure from the sky.

"Looks like someone tried busting into the city," he reported, "They got shot down, but one of our scouts saw a couple of people actually fly into the city. Like, without a plane. Almost as if they had super powers."

The older boy stood.

"Let's go met our guests, shall we?" He replied before vanishing into the darkness, the younger boy following behind.

Line Break

The group had found a sort of passage, a pipe the led between the closely built buildings. Azari guided them before hurrying down a side passage. They found themselves overlooking a plaza of some sort, machines flying around on whatever business they had been programmed for.

"Big," Pym whispered.

Liz nodded in reply, her voice lost for once.

"Herieth be the plan!" Torunn stated.

"I don't think 'herieth' is right," Pym interrupted.

"Ya, I don't think even Asgardians say things THAT stupid," Liz snickered.

"Shut up!" Torunn glared, "Here's the plan. We fight our way through the city, get to Ultron, smite him, and free Tony!"

"Huh, the Viking way," Liz quipped, "Short, sweet, and to the point."

"And likely to get us killed. Can't forget how often those people died." Tanya added. She drew her guns and eyed a drone that had begun to venture a little too close to them.

"That plan is insane on several levels!" James exclaimed, "We can't beat Ultron!"

"He's right," Aya replied, "Ultron's a hunter, he'll be waiting for us. If Tony's alive, it'll only to be to draw us in. We will not win, only fall."

"I am immortal and invulnerable!" Torunn yelled, "Ultron holds NO fear for me! Besides, my father watches over me!"

"You don't know that you're invulnerable!" James argued.

"Your father has not helped you before, so what makes you think he will now?" Liz agreed, "And even the Vikings who worshiped the Asgardians knew they weren't immortal!"

"For Asgard!" She yelled, leaping off the platform, ignoring them both.

She slashed open a robot as she descended.

"Wow. James, your girlfriend is crazy." Tanya said, peering down the ledge at Torunn

"Tell me she didn't just do that. And she isn't my girlfriend, Tanya!" James yelled at his sister.

"Oh, she did," Liz replied, "And now, we're all so dead."

A robot landed in front of the Asgardian and fired a wave of bullets towards her.

"Torunn!" James yelled in fear.

She dropped behind her sword, using it as a shield, which managed to deflected all the bullets. The robot swung at her with an arm that she then slashed off and threw back, destroying it.

"Have at thee!" She yelled.

Another machine dropped six more drones to the ground, surrounding her. She sliced one in half, but the others fired machine guns at her exposed back. The transport ship fired a laser, blasting her. She stood in a crater staring uncomprehendingly at the wound on her arm.

"Ow," she muttered.

She gasped as the robot fired another laser, launching her through the air.

"No!" Yelled Pym.

He blasted off the laser and struck at the staggered slightly and turned to their ledge.

"And there's more where that came from!" He taunted.

He gasped as he dodged a bullet, literally.

"Ha! Missed!" He taunted further. With that he flew away, the machine following him. He led it over to the others where Tanya shot it in the center of the red dome on the top with her guns, James raising his shield to block the wreckage from the machine's explosion.

Torunn looked up just as Iron Giant Man landed on top of her, the rest of the Iron Avengers following. It moved its foot to the side letting her up. She could only scream as Iron Thor gripped her face and began choking her.

"We have to help her!" Yelled Azari as the android threw her to the ground, forcing her to drop her sword. "We have to-"

"No duh!" Aya yelled as she leapt through the air, the double claws on each hand unsheathed, along with the single claws on each foot.

She knocked Iron Thor out of the way and kicked outward. Iron Spider, who just happened to have jumped into the air when she began her initial rescue, got caught by the claw and a small tear appeared in its side. Liz shot out a web which attached to Torunn's back and then yanked her back through the air. James jumped out and caught her before she hit the ground.

Now they were faced with a new problem. Aya was surrounded by the Iron Giant Man, Iron Thor, and Iron Spider. Before they could come to her rescue, the rest of the Iron Avengers blasted them back.

Azari and Liz landed a distance away, the Wakandan holding Vision's head tightly. Suddenly, the wall behind them disappeared and a hand reached out and grabbed Liz. She screamed in shock as it pulled her away. At the last minute, Azari gripped her hand and was pulled in along with her.

"Azari!"James Yelled. "Liz!"

He was interrupted as the door behind them vanished as well, to reveal a boy in a mask.

"Hurry up!" he ordered, grabbing onto Pym and yanking him in.

Another person appeared in her place and grabbed James and Torunn, forcing them to follow.

Aya was left to make her stand alone. She blinked as Iron Thor began to approach. Out of nowhere, several arrows launched through the air, slamming into the Iron Avenger and exploding. They were followed by a white haired boy holding onto a bow which had been attached to a grappling hook. He landed in front of her a grin on his face.

"You ready to get out of here, beautiful?" He asked, extending his hand.

"I am, and don't call me 'beautiful'," she replied, her voice calm and even.

"Then hang on," he said pulling her towards him.

He fired an arrow into the distance and the rocketed up on a zip line. They then disappeared into the darkness.

The Iron Avengers were left with several destroyed robots, a few craters, and a magic sword that was lodged in the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

James stumbled as he was pushed forward out of the narrow passage and into a large cavern. It looked like the old subway tunnels from Tony's old shows, with people in various states strewn across the room and a tattered U.S flag hanging on the far wall.

James looked around and did a quick headcount, finding around 100 people scattered around the tunnel, plus his teammates. He saw Torunn struggling to get up and moved to help her.

"Wh-where are we? Who are you people?" Pym asked, cowering slightly as their kidnappers towered over them. The rest of the team came to their sense as well, and they all got ready for a fight, activating their respective powers or drawing their weapons.

The subway dwellers drew their weapons as well, brandishing makeshift guns and and melee weapons. The tensions rose as the two groups faced off, fingers itching on their triggers, until a smaller, brown haired boy pushed through the crowd.

"Wait, wait! Let's all just calm down a bit, okay?" he asked placing himself between the scavengers and the younger children. He chuckled nervously and removed his makeshift helmet, revealing red streaks in his hair and brown eyes.

"Sorry about these guys, they're understandably a little stressed. The name's Andros, nice to meet you." He held out his armoured hand for James. The older boy tentatively lowered, but did not deactivate, his shield to shake the younger boys hand. The moment James made contact, Andros vigorously shook his hand and released it in less than a second, turning around to the gathered scavengers. James couldn't say for sure, but he thought he saw a flash of orange flicker in the younger boys eyes. But it was gone as soon as it came.

Andros raised two thumbs up and yelled "They're good!", which caused the scavengers around them to disperse, going about their business in the tunnel.

Azari's tattoos faded back into black ink as he powered down, looking around in bewilderment as the previously hostile people flashed them friendly smiles. "What the heck just happened?" He questioned.

"I… have no idea…" Tanya answered, slowly lowering her guns to her sides and shifting out of her battle stance.

"More importantly, where are we?" Aya asked. Her nose crinkled. "And who are these people? They smell like oil and grease."

Before anyone could answer, they saw a boy with white hair and a bow slung across his back march over to them, looking ready to yell.

He stopped just before he reached James, crossing his arms in a motion that dared James to challenge the authority he apparently held.

James met the challenge readily, deactivating his shield and matching the other boys stance.

"Listen," The other boy began after a short staring match, "You guys don't belong here. You came from outside the city, and you survived a fight with Ultron's robot-avengers. It doesn't make sense. For all I know, that whole thing was staged. I'm the one in charge here, and it's my responsibility to keep everyone safe, especially from spies. So, if you can't prove to me that you aren't spies for Ultron in the next ten seconds," He drew his bow and nocked an arrow pointed straight at James face faster than he could react. "Then I'll kill you. Simple as that."

James stared down the shaft of the arrow unflinchingly, giving off the mask of perfect calm his father so often employed. Inside, though, his mind was racing. He needed to prove himself and the rest of the team to arrow guy. He himself might be easy to take down as a group, but who knows what the other people had, and Torunn was already injured.

Just before his ten seconds were up, the younger boy with from before came back, this time with an older woman trailing behind. Arrow guy lowered his bow and glared at the intrusion, but didn't object when Andros pulled him down to whisper in his ear. After a second, arrow guy pulled back and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

Andros turned back to the group, but this time his focus zeroed on Pym. Or, more specifically, Vision's head in Pym's arms. He raced forward, and James got a good look at his eyes, and it was clear he didn't imagine the orange glow from earlier. This time though, he could see that the orange glow was more like a network of lines criss crossing over his brown eyes like wires.

"That is so cool!" Andros' excited claim snapped James out of his stupor, and he saw that Andros had ripped Vision out of Pym's hands and was inspecting it. Although, he kept his and Visions heads still, and instead it seemed he could see everything about Vision at a glance, like nothing was hidden. James shuddered at the implications, but pushed it off to turn his attention back to arrow guy.

Said boy was busy talking to the older woman in hushed tones, but his body more than made up for the lack of volume. He was waving his arms around, and and his posture screamed of agitation. James made his way over regardless, and the white-haired boy noticed him just before he entered earshot.

"What do you want." He muttered, less a statement or question, but more a warning. James took it in stride though, and stood tall in front of the other boy, and responded in a steady voice.

"My name is James. My friends and I came here because Ultron kidnapped our… friend, and we came to rescue him. We don't want to hurt you, and I don't see why you saved us if you don't trust us."

The boy sighed and fixed his posture. "Trust me, that was Andros' idea, I just went along with it. The name's Francis, by the way." he held his hand out, but it was obvious he was still tense. James took the hand anyway, and shook it.

"You should forget about your friend though, there's no way Ultron's letting him go. He was dead the moment Ultron laid his metal fingers on him." Francis warned, turning his back on James. "If you head south to the shipyard, you might find a ship in flying condition to get outta here."

James' face soured immediately, and he took another step forward to Francis. "You don't know that."

Francis scoffed. "Yeah, I do." His tone lowered and he looked down slightly. "Trust me, I do."

James ground his teeth in frustration. "We ARE going to find Tony, we ARE going to save him, and we are NOT running away!" He yelled.

Francis froze, and slowly turned around, eyeing James and the other's equipment and costumes. His eyes narrowed especially when he saw Liz's spider-costume properly for the first time.

"Tony… who?"

"Huh?" James asked.

"Earlier, you didn't want to tell me your friend's name. Just now, you called him Tony. You're all dressed like discount avengers, so I'll ask again. Tony who?" Francis' voice was scaringly calm, almost terrifyingly so. By now Andros had heard what Francis said, and looked over to their direction to hear Jame' response.

"Uh, Tony Stark. He was the one who raised us, kept us safe. It's my fault Ultron found us and kidnapped him, so we came to save him." James answered. The answer seemed to set Francis off, and he stormed off with a yell. The older woman watched him leave without a word, but sent a sympathetic look past James.

James looked back and saw the Andros kid looking down at his feet, his arms visibly shaking as he held Vision in a death grip. Liz and Tanya were already trying to calm him down, so James went after Francis instead.

The archer in question was sitting on the other side of the tunnel, aggressively sharpening an arrow while mumbling under his breath. He noticed James and put the arrow away, turning to face him.

"You don't give up, do you?" He muttered. "Why would you want to save him? Do you know what he's done? What he's caused?"

The questions shocked James. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Francis let out a little laugh. "Ultron." He spat, his voice filled with utter contempt. "You ever wonder why it looks so much like Iron Man? Stark and Pym were working together on it. They unveiled him and the others like him as the ultimate peacekeeping soldier force 15 years ago. The Avengers would handle alien emperors and shit, while the Ultron force-it was called the Iron Legion before- handles foot soldiers. It was great.

"But then something happened. No one knows what, but my dad-"

"Your dad?" James questioned.

"Yeah, Hawkeye, one of the Avengers." Francis explained. "Anyway, he always liked old movies like terminator and stuff, and thought making a A.I police-bot would eventually blow up in our faces. The whole 'kill humanity for peace' cliché." He laughed bitterly. "Who'd have thought he was right." He looked down at the bow leaning against the bench wistfully. "All of that, and that isn't even the worst of it. See Andros over there?"

James turned his head back to see Andros, who looked considerably calmer than before, sitting on one of the discarded benches with Tanya and Liz. Aya looked like she was discussing a matter of importance with Azari and the older woman from before. Pym was inspecting Vision's head, and Torunn was looking out the broken window aimlessly, clutching the burns on her arm.

James pushed his worry for Torunn's state out of his mind and turned back to Francis. "Yeah, so?" He asked.

"He was born a year before Ultron turned on us. His mom and War Machine - Iron Man's old sidekick - raised him down here after his dad died. Or, we thought he died. Woulda been better than just skipping out like you say he did." Francis explained.

James looked at Andros again, this time taking note of some features he noticed from Tony's old pictures. They had the same nose, general face shape, and eye color, but some features were different. His face, while similar, was slightly rounder, there was a splay of freckles on his face that James could see now that the kid was blushi- wait, why the frick was he blushing!?

James looked at Tanya, who was smiling and talking animatedly, Andros looking completely transfixed. Liz was leaning back with a cocky smile, but did nothing to tease the boy. Good. Left more for James to beat up later.

"So his dad's Tony?" He ground out. Francis took note of James' agitated tone and looked at Andros too, noticing the same thing James and Liz noticed, and gave a small smile.

"Yeah. We all thought Tony died, so Rhodey - War Machine - led our ragtag resistance here. We were actually doing well, but then Ultron decided to step in personally. We thought we were ready, but he slaughtered hundreds of us. Rhodey didn't stand a chance, and he knew it, so he sent the armour back and fought Ultron alone. He died, but the suit's cloaking system kept Ultron from tracking it. We have it in the basement, but the second we turn it on,Ultron will find us. Andros has been trying to keep it hidden, but he can only do so much."

"So is Andros smart, like Tony?" James questioned.

"Nah, he's actually pretty dumb and naive. But he also injected himself with extremis, so there's that."

James racked his brain for Tony's old stories. "Extremis… it's what let Tony control tech telepathically." ' _So that's what his eyes were doing.'_ He thought.

Francis pointed a finger at James and said; "Bingo! We have a winner!" James rolled his eyes and began walking back to the group. Francis picked his stuff up and followed shortly.

"Tony probably didn't know Andros was alive." James tried to reason. "He never talks about the night Ultron attacked a lot. All we know is that Ultron killed all our parents. He had a picture of Pepper and a baby on his desk, but never told us the kids name. Whenever we asked, he would get all quiet and say they died" Francis grunted in confirmation, but his expression softened.

They reached the group just as Azari noticed him. He ran forward, grabbed James' arm, and pulled him back to Aya. "James, glad you're here. Talk some sense into this dumbass, will you?"

James sighed in frustration. Azari was the mediator usually, James never had to settle their arguments. "What's the problem?"

"Betty - this is Betty by the way, she knew the Hulk - says that Ultron is too strong for us to fight. We already knew that, but what we didn't know is that there's a non-scavenger fighter who can tear apart squadrons of drones. That'd be useful against Ultron, but this wimp" He pointed at Aya. "Thinks it's fake and refuses to try and find him."

Aya scowled slightly. "You want to hinge our hopes on an urban legend? I say we save Tony while avoiding Ultron, then run to the savage land like Vision told us."

"Speaking of, how's Vision doing?" James asked, trying to change the subject from their mythical warrior.

Andros took Vision again and his eyes glowed as he inspected the head. "Charge is at 7%. He has solar batteries, so we should leave him out to charge. 3 hours should do it." He said. He gave the head back to Pym, who squinted to try and see what Andros saw.

James scowled when Andros sat back down next to the oblivious Tanya, about a foot away. Which, personally, he found far to close. A couple miles away instead would've been better.

"Great. Wonderful. Now can we focus on the guy who can help us!?" Azari yelled, agitated.

James sighed and turned to the old woman. "Betty, right? I'm James, nice too meet you." He held his hand out, and Betty meet it gladly. "Can you tell me more about this man? We need help if we're going to save our friend."

"You already know everything you need to know." She smiled. "You know far more than you think you do. But to find him, he's usually seen up north, near where Westchester used to be."

James smiled and thanked her, before turning to the rest. "Okay, as leader, I say we try to find this guy. If we can't, Aya can stab Azari. If we can and he'll help, Azari can shock Aya. How does that sound?"

Azari's reply was a scared yelp at the prospect of Aya's claws stabbing him, while Aya nodded with a small grin. James took that as a sign of a job well done and turned to Francis.

"Can we count on you for help?" He asked. Francis looked at Andros, who nodded in confirmation, and then back at James.

"We'll help find this guy, but we're not fighting Ultron. You're on your own for that." He finished twisting an arrow head onto the shaft he's been working on, and gathered his gear. Andros went to get his Armour, and came back a moment later, makeshift helmet and repulsor on.

James smiled and started walking to the door, the rest of the group following behind him. Aya sped up her pace to catch up, and started conversing with James in hushed tones.

"Did you stop to think what would happen if this guy attacks us?" She questioned. "He might not be targeting droids specifically, but just anything that moves."

James took a second before responding. "Well," He eventually said. "I guess we'll just have to see." He smirked and kept walking, leaving a dumbfounded Aya staring at his back for a moment.

"This is the dumbest strategy ever. Of all time." She muttered, catching up to the rest of the group.


End file.
